Calls for residents to report potholes with new hotline and mobile app and follow pothole tracker online

Mayor Jorge Elorza today joined by a Department of Public Works pothole team, outlined efforts to aggressively and systematically repair potholes throughout the City of Providence with the #PVDPotholeHunt campaign that encourages the community to report potholes by utilizing the 3-1-1 hotline, the PVD311 mobile application, and an online pothole tracker.

“Thanks to increased technology and improved processes our pothole crews will be more efficient and responsive when it comes to potholes throughout the city,” said Mayor Elorza. “Residents are now able to track their requests and make reports easily through the 3-1-1 hotline and PVD311 application.”

With the launch of the new 3-1-1 hotline and PVD311 mobile application, Mayor Elorza is working to make it easier for residents to report and track requests for city services. Potholes can be reported through the application or non-emergency line 24 hours a day.

In addition to the hotline, app and online tools, Mayor Elorza also announced #PVDPotholeHunt, a citywide community lead initiative that encourages residents to survey the conditions of their neighborhood streets for potholes and report via the application. These efforts are guided by daily, proactive surveys of streets and reports from residents, to identify and prioritize repairs. Roadways are prioritized based on level of traffic and condition of the roadway.

Dates for the neighborhood events are as follows:

Saturday, March 19, WBNA Headquarters at 2:00pm
Sunday, March 20, Seven Stars on Hope street at 1:00pm
Sunday, March 20, Johnny’s Chimi’s at 3:00pm
Saturday, March 26, City Hall at 9:30am
Saturday, March 26, Mt. Pleasant High School 11:30am

Residents are encouraged to report potholes to the Mayor’s Office by calling 3-1-1 or through the PVD311 website and mobile app. Reports help the city find areas that need prioritization and inform the prioritization process.
There are 4 simple steps when reporting via the PVD311 mobile app:

Install PVD311 mobile application onto phone.

Open and select Submit New Request.

Identify whether the hole is a Potholes, Sinkhole or Failed Utility Patch.

Proceed to fill out information and Submit Request.

When reporting a problem, residents are encouraged to identify the hazards as one of the following types:

Potholes are round, irregularly bowl-shaped openings up to several inches deep. Occurs when asphalt surface of the road is broken up, exposing the road subsurface below.

Sinkholes are large, deep washouts, with voids under the surrounding road surface. Occurs when dirt below the concrete base washes away, causing the asphalt to fall through. Sinkholes may be caused by breaks in underground pipes below the sinkhole or soft soils underneath the pavement.

Failed Utility Patches are rectangular straight edge utility excavations not backfilled properly, that wash out or sink in, leaving a depression in the road. The seams of utility patches are often the source of a pothole, so the pothole within a defective utility patch may have irregular edges.